Dense fog disrupts flight operations at Delhi airport

NEW DELHI: Dense fog enveloped several parts of Delhi on Friday morning, leading to disruption of flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
Departures were largely put on hold at the airport between 5.30 am and 10.20 am due to dense fog. Arrivals were happening only intermittently between 6 am and 7.20 am, an official said.
Five flights were diverted between 5.30 am and 10.20 am from the Delhi airport, he said.
One of the flights was coming from Singapore and it was diverted to Kolkata, he added.
“Very few aircraft are departing and that too on the basis of their size, visibility and ATC (air traffic control) clearance for taking off,” the airport official said.
At Delhi, the minimum runway visibility required for take off is 125 metres.
The Delhi airport was facing low visibility conditions since 4 am due to dense fog, the official said.
“The visibility significantly improved between 9.20 am and 10.20 am. This allowed us to resume departures properly from 10.20 am onward,” he said.
Vistara Airlines tweeted at 8.23 am, “Due to dense fog and poor visibility in Delhi, delays are expected for both arrivals and departures with likely consequential impact on flights across the network.”
“Currently, flight departures from Delhi are on hold and will resume by 0930 hrs subject to weather clearance,” it added.
Jet Airways also tweeted at 6.33 am that some of its flights had been affected due to dense fog at Delhi and Bengaluru airports. (AGENCIES)